The Scout - High Point - Filip Brankovic
Breaking down the game of High Point big man Filip Brankovic
In the third article of the second wrap-around, we take a look at High Point’s newest transfer big man from UT Rio Grande Valley, Filip Brankovic.
Without further ado, let’s break down the game of High Point’s new big man, Filip Brankovic.
Player Bio:
Before transferring to High Point, Brankovic spent 1 season at UTRGV. Before his time in the NCAA, Brankovic spent multiple seasons in both the BNXT and ABA U19 Leagues. Brankovic also appeared for Serbia’s U16 and U20 teams.
2025-26 (Junior Season/UTRGV):
In his lone season of NCAA action to date, Brankovic averaged 13 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 1.9 APG across 32 starts for the Vaqueros.
Earned 2nd Team All-Conference in the Southland Conference last season.
2019-20 to 2024-25 Pre-NCAA Career (Crvena Zvezda U19, PrismaWorx, Donar Groningen, Serbia National Team)
Across 3 seasons of BNXT play at both PrismaWorx (22-23, 23-24) and Donar Groningen (24-25), Brankovic averaged over 10 PPG across all 3 seasons with highs in PPG of 12.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 2023-24.
In 2020-21 at Crvena Zvezda, in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament averaged 14.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG across 7 games. Brankovic also played for Crvena in 2019-20, averaging 10.3 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 4 games.
During the 2019-20 U16 EuroBasket competition, Brankovic averaged 8.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 2.1 APG in 7 games.
During the 2023-24 U20 EuroBasket competition, Brankovic averaged 10.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG, helping Serbia earn 5th place.
Film Review:
Efficiency Demon:
When watching Filip Brankovic, one thing is very evident: he is a very talented offensive player. That talent becomes even clearer when you look at HOW efficient Brankovic was last season at UTRGV. Last season at UTRGV, Brankovic was a Top 200 player in 2PT percentage with 62.4% and a Top 150 player at the rim shooting 69.3% at the rim. Brankovic also had a 70th percentile Effective FG Percentage with 58.2%.
One of the best things about Brankovic for High Point was that his efficiency became even better during conference play last season. During Southland Conference play last season, Brankovic was a Top 100 player in 2PT Percentage, shooting 64.8%, having a 2.4% increase. Brankovic did see a 1.4% drop at the rim, still ending up as a Top 200 player at the rim. The place where Brankovic really saw an improvement was the mid-range, having a 10.8% increase and being a Top 90 player in the mid-range.
Stretches the Floor:
Another ability Brankovic possesses that will be utilized by Flynn Clayman and his staff is Brankovic’s ability to shoot the three and overall stretch the floor. Last season at UTRGV, Brankovic took over 100 shots from behind the arc, ranking in the 64th percentile of 3PAr, taking 3.3 attempts per game. It’s one thing to shoot a ton of 3-pointers, but it’s another thing to make them, which is something Brankovic was also very good at doing, shooting 33.7% from 3 last season, ranking in the 66th percentile of all big men in CBB in 3PT Percentage.
This ability has been something Brankovic has possessed for a long time, as during his time overseas, he was also a very solid stretch big man. Before coming over to play at UTRGV, Brankovic played in Belgium’s BNXT league, which has produced other elite big man stars like Thijs De Ridder (Virginia) and Noam Yaacov (Utah). In BNXT, Brankovic shot over 40% from 3 across 3 seasons with over 200 attempts across the 3 seasons. Brankovic also shot 35% from Serbia during U20 EuroBasket competition in July of 2023.
High Point last season had a big man who was very able to stretch the floor when needed: Owen Aquino. One paper said it didn’t seem like Aquino did much to stretch the floor for High Point, with only a 16.3% 3PAr, but even that was in the top half of D1 forwards last season. During conference play, that ability was massive for High Point; from 1.4 attempts per game from beyond the arc in conference play, Aquino shot over 48%. The ability undoubtedly helped HPU to shoot 67.5% at the rim during conference play, placing them in the 91st percentile of D1 teams and 43.9% in the paint, ranking them in the 65th percentile.
Plug and Play:
One of the most underrated aspects of Filip Brankovic is his ability to adapt and be an almost “plug and play” big man. Last season, Brankovic played 6 Play Styles over 8 Plays Per 100 Possessions. Those 6 plays were: Rebound and Scramble, Big Pick and Roll, Cutter, Pick and Pop, Post Up, Inside Out. Of those 6 Play Styles, Brankovic ranked in the Top 50% of all big men in all 6 for efficiency and in the top 75% of big men in 2 of those 6, being Big Pick and Roll and Inside Out. Big Pick and Roll was his most common play, with 12.3 Plays Per 100 being Big Pick and Roll, with an efficiency of 1.27 Points Per Possession, ranking him in the 77th percentile.
That ability to plug and play will make a massive impact at High Point, especially considering the areas where Brankovic excelled are where High Point excels. Owen Aquino, last season at High Point, had a very similar offensive play style, having >10 plays per 100 in Big Cut and Roll, Inside Out, and Post Up plays along with Transition. High Point as a team saw massive success, ranking in the 75th percentile of Points Per Possession in Big Cut and Roll plays along with being in the Top 50th percentile of Post Up and Inside Out plays.
Rebounding:
The biggest flaw when looking at Brankovic’s game comes from his ability to rebound. Last season as UTRGV’s main big man playing 100% of his minutes as their center, Brankovic had an 8.2% Offensive Rebounding Percentage and a 13.4% Defensive Rebounding Percentage. Last year, High Point’s big men had 8.3%, 10.1%, and 12.3% Offensive Rebounding Percentages and Defensive Rebounding Percentages of 16.6%, 16.3%, and 14.3%. Owen Aquino, who was High Point’s primary 5 last season, had 8.3% and 16.3%, which allowed him to stay in the 50th percentile for both stats, being in the 55th percentile for Offensive and 59th percentile for Defensive. Brankovic was only above the 50th percentile for Offensive Rebounding Percentage, ranking in the 53rd percentile and the 32nd percentile for Defensive.
When you dive deeper into the stats and the players around Brankovic at both UTRGV and now at High Point, you see light at the end of the tunnel. Last season at UTRGV, Brankovic played with two elite rebounding guards in Marvin McGee and Koree Cotton. Last season, Marvin McGhee III had a Defensive Rebounding Percentage of 16.3%, ranking in the 92nd percentile for guards, and Cotton had an even better 17.7%, ranking in the 95th percentile. This season at High Point, he is surrounded by elite rebounders in Jason Rivera Torres, Caden Miller, Isaac Garrett, Frankquon Sherman, among others. Suppose he can rebound at an elite level, great. If not, HPU should be just fine.
Final Thoughts:
Filip Brankovic has a pretty easy player comparison to make, and that is to last year’s big man in Owen Aquino. Both players are 6’8” big men who primarily played the center position, with similar play styles, and both even came from very solid coaches/programs, with Owen Aquino coming from Ritchie McKay at Liberty and Brankovic coming from Khalil Fennell at UTRGV. The only real differences being their rebounding abilities, which I truly don’t believe are that far off. The other difference is defensively, where Brankovic was by no means a bad defensive player, ending the season as a positive defensive player at UTRGV.
I really don’t know where to expect Brankovic to be in the roster because there is so much talent this season. High Point has another proven big man in Isaac Garrett and a very solid player in Caden Miller coming off a solid freshman season, all competing for minutes. I do think Garrett and Brankovic will take up the majority of those minutes, with Caden also pulling a decent amount. I think you can expect a similar season to Aquino, with slightly lower statistical numbers but similar adjusted stats and likely at least some Big South postseason honors.